


Forbidden right to freedom

by BlueTulips



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Ancient History, F/M, Forbidden Love, Freedom, Non-Sexual Slavery, Non-Sexual Submission
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28110663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueTulips/pseuds/BlueTulips
Summary: Oardilla, an applauded kingdom, was ill-famed after it was passed on to the hands of Prince Alberto Vicuña. During his father's regime, the king had hired commoners as servants and vowed to take care of their families in return.  This policy encouraged a financially insufficient Murillo family to pledge their 7 year old brave, stubborn, brilliant and rebellious daughter, Raquel Murillo, to the kingdom. Unfortunately within a year of her joining, the great king passed away, leaving his eldest son in-charge of the command.Former Prince, now, King Alberto, split the palace staff into servants and slaves based on his mood, at that time. The servants were paid whereas the slaves were barely kept alive with basic food.  Raquel and all her fellow slaves were collared, leashed and tagged with a unique number as their new identity, making them unnamed objects.  Life was a dead end for them, until Prince Sergio, Alberto's younger brother, returned to the palace and set his eyes on a bubbly, yet ragged, submissive and heavily restrained woman, V1806.CONTENTS COULD BE DARK THEMED : READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!
Relationships: Professor | Sergio Marquina & Paula Vicuña, Raquel Murillo/Alberto Vicuña, Raquel Murillo/Alicia Sierra, Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story could have triggers and raw mentions in a few chapters. I will be sure to put in "TW" on such chapters.  
> However, please be advised to read at your own discretion :) :) :) 
> 
> Hello, 
> 
> This is an AU Serquel idea that I had a lot of doubts and hesitations before I started working on it. As the idea built, I really liked it and couldn't wait to share it with you all!! 
> 
> A 27 year old, young, naive and innocent Raquel stealing the heart of a skilful, experienced 40 year old Sergio Marquina was just too tempting to not write. She could be the one in restrains, but he was a slave to her beautiful kind heart. Raquel, who was not allowed to exhibit any form of emotions, except gratitude, felt safe to open herself to a patient and warm Sergio despite their initial obstacles. 
> 
> The Vicuna brothers - Alberto and Sergio, who were brothers from different mothers, are quite the opposite to each other. The king remarried after his first lady passed away. The result of his second marriage was Sergio. Alberto always remained jealous and ignorant of little Sergio who was 15 years younger to him. Despite their differences, they had one thing in common. Both their mothers died a lonely life while their father was a celebrated hero who spent his life for his kingdom. This probed different reactions in the brothers. While, Alberto grew hating the common people, Sergio grew resenting his royal life. Sergio, could only last as long as his mother's life in the kingdom and left the first chance he got. His interest in human rights and politics, thankfully convinced his father to send him away for further education while he trained his eldest son to be the next king. Sergio did return for a little while post his father's demise, however was unable to withstand Alberto's rule, hence he left at the earliest. Since his childhood, Sergio hid his identity behind his mother's family name. 
> 
> Years later, he, only, returned upon the request of Laura Vicuña, wife and queen of Alberto Vicuña. While, Sergio Marquina spent cursing his royalty for ruining his childhood, his problems felt like dust in front of the injustice Raquel and her sisterhood suffered. The true innocence and pain in Raquel's eyes encouraged him to use his authority for once in his life.

Hello !

My name is Paula. I am nine years old, but my mom says I am too mature for my age. I don't know what that means, but I would like to take it as a compliment. I live in a small house in Holland with my parents and my little brothers. Next to us is, uncle Andres, auntie Alicia, Herman and Nana. It is not strange that I woke up this early in the morning, thanks to these little boys who cry for food. Who gets hungry at 7 AM ?! When they were infants, my mom carried them to a room to feed them secretively. I wonder why ? I mean, we all eat in front of each other, why were they given special treatment. When I asked my mom to feed me in her room like she does with the babies, she laughed. I didn't get the joke, but, she is beautiful when she laughs, so it's okay! My parents sleep in the bedroom, while my brother and I have little beds in the living room. Initially, when we moved to this house, I got nightmares, so I was allowed to sleep next to them. Eventually, when I grew braver, they sent me out. It's the same case in Herman's house too. When we stood up for our rights, the adults said they would be kissing a lot. EWW! I would rather not sleep next to them when they kiss. 

It’s a weekend and my parents are asleep, which makes Herman and I responsible for my brothers. Herman likes to stay with us over the weekend and we have a lot of fun together. I go to school with Herman and Auntie Alicia is our teacher. Uncle Andres and my dad work together on something that I don’t understand, but they buy us gifts often. So, they seem to be doing good work. My mother runs her own bakery! She is the best baker in the whole town. Her pastries!! Umm!! God, I am hungry for them. My dad says that my mom is the smartest amongst all of us, even though she didn’t really go to school. I agree with him. She helps us with our homework and even my dad’s office work at times. So, she must be very smart! My mom has set one goal for all of us ; to study well and have great futures, because that was her unfulfilled dream. She still gets upset about it, often. When it happens, my dad and I kiss her to make her feel better. But, what really makes her better is when I get highest scores in school and read a lot. So, I do what I can do to keep her happy, because she does the same for us. She fought hardest to change my life, otherwise I don’t think I would have survived. I am not as strong as her. None of us are, really. Did I tell you about Nana ? She is Uncle Andres’s mother, we call her Nana, but I don’t know her real name. She says that my mom should have been a man, because she is that strong. But, my dad says strength should never be associated with gender. 

  
It’s time for breakfast and my parents are still in bed. Typical! They kiss a lot during weekends and always wake up late. I cooked eggs, ate it with bread and, left some for Herman. My brothers stopped crying after I gave them some milk. Herman slept despite their loud cries, which is strange, because he usually wakes up with me. But, it gave me time to write my new diary. My mom says it's important to keep a diary because it could be a memory to myself and history to the rest of the world. 

Would it be okay if I tell you a little secret ? I did not like my brothers initially. Because, they made my mom hurt a lot. The day god was going to bring them to us, mom was in a lot of pain and she kept crying and screaming. I tried to peep in to see her, she was kneeling on the floor, holding her stomach and crying. It made me cry, too. Auntie Alicia scolded me for sneaking in. When I begged a lot, they allowed me inside for a second. I ran to hug and kiss my mom, who smiled for my sake, but I could tell she was in a lot of pain. Auntie Alicia and Nana were with her, but she wanted my dad. Though everyone told him that he was not allowed to see her, he refused and went in to stay with her anyways. From what I have observed, he breaks all rules for my mom. Mom was crying for an entire day and finally god gave us the baby. It’s strange, I was standing at the door the whole time, but never saw god enter the house. 

Anyways, mom says I can never tell my brothers that I didn’t like them and it must stay a secret. Along with the other major secret she asked me to keep about our previous lives. Only my parents and I know about it. We haven’t told Uncle Andres or his family. So, it is top secret. My parents told me that they were worried my friends would tease or bully me if they got to know. So, every time anyone asked me about where we came from and what we did, I only give them an answer that my parents instructed me to reveal; My mom was a baker in Spain, she married my dad and moved here. Only the later half of that sentence is true. 

They say that my dad and his family are very rich, but he left all of it for us. We are lucky, but I was initially sad that he lost his luxury because of us. But, apparently, he did not like that life either. Weird! Why wouldn’t he like to live a royal life ? We don’t even tell people about how rich my father’s family is or why we never speak to them. My mom told me that he left all of it for us. But, he denies it. According to him, he left because he didn’t like them and likes us better. Yay!. We may not be the richest people in the world, but we are the happiest. At least now we have beds, as supposed to the cold stone slabs that my mom and I slept in our previous lives. My mom says we must be grateful to god for the good times, but more grateful for the tough times, because when life gets difficult we also get rewarded with a special gift. That special gift was my dad. But, I still don’t agree with the amount of suffering we had to endure to get here. Not all paths are filled with roses, apparently. We were just unfortunate to walk on thorns. 

My parents made me swear that I won’t ever reveal any hint about our past, but ended up writing a book about it!!! The book holds the story that contained raw details about our previous lives that shook several kingdoms in Spain, but they were kept hidden from the world; the story that brought my parents together. When the book was published, everyone assumed that it is a fiction. Only we knew that it was the truth and the whole truth. A story that was unimaginably true. I cannot wait to read it, but apparently it is only for adults. So, I have to wait until I am old enough. Maybe you can, if you are an adult ? The book is called “Our story for beyond our death”

Herman is awake, I must go. Hope you like the book.


	2. The birth of a mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to life around Raquel, Paula and the other slaves. Raquel is forced to agree to a strange mission that would eventually threaten her life. Meanwhile, Paula adds value to her existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello...
> 
> /******TW: Mild abuse**********/  
> Please read at your own discretion, since it is a darker theme!!! For those who still want to go ahead with it, thank you so much for reading the chapter!!!!

“UP!”, a loud growling followed by a louder thud at their grilled door brought them to their hopeless reality. 

“What the fuck, it’s still dark outside.”, one of them complained quietly, while the others yawned and agreed. They all sat up at once waiting for their mistress to release them. A metal chain leashed their necks to a pillar in the middle of the room. They all slept in free spaces around it and moved around as far as their leash permitted. The only source of light was a small hole in the wall and a small window at their door which can only be opened from the outside. Truth to be said, none of them have seen the condition of the room in broad daylight. Being kept in the same floor as the palace animals, the only evident factor was that the animals were offered better living conditions. But, unlike fellow humans, the animals cared for them, loved their company. 

“We barely sleep these days.”, said another rubbing her tired eyes.

“Or eat...”, the third one said. 

“Shh... I think she is coming.”, hushed and whispered a skinny, brown-eyed woman as she noticed a shadow under the door. They were all skinny, malnourished and over-worked. Their dilapidated room, a rotten cage and the bland food that they were given twice a day demanded their lifelong gratitude as they are abandoned children that the palace _generously_ took over. 

When the mistress appeared outside their room to unleash them , they all straightened, hung their heads, and adjusted to the new light. “G’Morning, Mistress”, they all said in unison and received nothing but an unpleasant grunt. Inconsiderate of how sore their necks have become after being leashed to the pillar all night, the mistress snapped open the hook from their collars and they stretched their necks to finally relax. Quietly, they all stood up to follow their routine. They assembled around a sink to brush, then were given a sheet of toilet paper for their use during the day. After a common shower, they assembled outside the palace, ready for work. The palace guards thoroughly examined them every time they entered and exited the palace. The search was not only to ensure they haven’t stolen anything from the palace, but also, remind them of their status. Preparing the kitchen was their job before the servants arrived. This involved turning on the stoves, boiling water for coffee and tea, slicing bread loafs and chopping other ingredients for breakfast. Every single meal tailored to fit the status of the consumer. The royal family were fed first, followed by the court staff, the servants, animals and finally the slaves. People are fed in that order, hence, by the time the slaves are fed their first meal, it would already be time to prepare for lunch. The platter options also varied according to their class. The royal family were served fresh fruits, wide range of differently cooked meat options, eggs, pastries, toast according to their preference. And, this exclusive list is deflated to only porridge boiled in water for the slaves and if it's their lucky day, maybe a slice of the crusty ends of bread. Of course, they also have their own cheap quality plate and mugs that is kept away from the rest of the kitchen utensils. The servants take breaks, offs to chit-chat while the slaves compensated for the loss of manpower in silence. 

At dawn when servants arrived at the kitchen, they were handed a cup of coffee to kick start their day. While, at work, the servant would still chat amongst themselves, oblivious of the four other women in the room. Things got very tense when the King was at the dining table. King Alberto was a grumpy fifty year old, silver haired, pot bellied man with a bad attitude towards people. Everyone took extra caution when it came to his meals, as he threw it back at their faces if it was not up to his mark. And, no-one knows what that mark is. Queen Laura, on the other hand, was much younger and nicer. She was also very liked amongst the slaves, as she treated everyone with equal respect. She was once a happy princess until she was married to Alberto. Now, she is a lonely old woman stuck in an unhappy marriage. The royal couple don’t have fights, in fact, they haven’t spoken to each other in ten years. The queen remains in her castle, while the king enjoys the company of concubines and other women. Their son Ricardo was a well-behaved kid when he was raised by his mother, but was, now, trying to follow his father’s legacy. There has been a mention of the king’s step-brother, Sergio, but he hasn’t stepped inside the palace in a really long time. Some people say he is dead, some say that the king had killed him, but the truth remained buried. 

“This is cardboard!” one of the slaves complained as they finally sat by the dish washing area to drink their porridge breakfast at mid day. 

“Elsa, do you have to say this everyday ?”, Raquel sighed. They all knew each other’s names, but would never address each other by their names in front of the rest of palace members. Their collars has numbers that were their new identity. 

“Would it kill them to add salt or sugar to it ?”, Ava pointed out supporting Elsa’s view. 

“I actually don’t want them to add anything to it.”, Triana shrugged earning curious looks from the other three women. “What ? Who knows what these crazy bastards are capable of doing.. they could piss in it. Plain is better, this way I know it’s untouched!”

They all seem to agree and Raquel accidentally chuckled a bit louder. A stone was thrown in their way almost missing her head, “Shut your useless mouths and get to work!”, yelled a servant.

With less than a minute for them to drink their porridge, they wrapped up their little gathering and went to work. After their tasks for lunch was complete, they were led by some servants to clean and dust the palace rooms. At the end of lunch, when it was almost tea-time, the slaves get raw vegetables or meat from the kitchen, which they accepted happily after spending an entire day of muscle burning labour. 

“You two! Lift your fat asses and take all of this to the strategy room.”, the servant pointed at Raquel and Elsa. Pushing all the raw vegetables down their throat, they walked to the kitchen counter to carry the freshly baked cakes and tea for the court meeting. 

“My ass isn’t fat!”, Elsa mumbled.

Raquel chuckled softly. 

“If anything, it’s sexy.”, the girl pouted.

“Yes, darling, you are beautiful.”, Raquel assured and slapped her friend’s ass. 

“We should spit on his cake.”, Elsa suggested.

“Shut up and come..”, Raquel reprimanded her for the evil idea. “The lord is watching us.”

“Who ? Jesus ? I am sure he is cool with it!”, Elsa argued.

“I don’t want us to be sinners. Our sins have already put us in this position.”, Raquel implied the collar on their necks. 

By the time Elsa finished her long eye roll, they had arrived at the courtroom. “We brought food for the meeting.”, Elsa informed lowering her head. Their leash was always wrapped around their waists for instant use and the guards used it to lead them into the royal courtroom. Soon as they stepped in the guards informed the king and ministers about condiments, while Raquel and Elsa kneeled on the floor, lowered their heads and clamped their hands behind their back. 

King Alberto, ignoring the guard’s announcement and continued with his agitated questions. “So, you are saying Sergio owns all of this ?”.

The ministers nodded in disappointment. One of them dared to correct him, “You both own it equally.”

“You are saying, I have to kiss his second-handed ass to use my father’s money ?”, King Alberto took a deep drag from his cigarette. 

“According to the great king, your father’s, will, it seems so.”, one of the minister sighed. 

“That old fool!!”, the angry king punched the table, turned out to spot the slaves still in their room. “Get these filths out of here.”, he yelled at the guards. 

“Thank you, my lord.”, Raquel and Elsa bowed humbly and were dragged out by their leash.

“We need to fix this, Alexander.”, Alberto stood nose-to-nose with this eldest minister. “I don’t want the asshole here.”

“My lord, if I may suggest..”, Alexander had a plan

“Oh please.. do..”, Alberto mocked showing him a fake stage. 

“Bring Sergio here. Be warm and welcoming. And, sort it out.”

“Sort it out ? What are we teenagers fighting over a ball ?”, Alberto looked very unimpressed.

“I mean _sort_ _him_ _out_.”, Alexander emphasised his words implying a different type of solution to their problems. 

It was not unusual for the king to get dinner served in his room, while he enjoyed his time alone or the company of a beautiful concubine. Today was no different. Mistress Ansa, the head of servants and slaves, the king’s personal favourite, was with the King for a personal chat. The old Mistress, who has spent decades by his side, could read the king clearly and vocally expressed concerns about his dull face. When the King spilled information about the palace’s financial situation and his father’s will, the Mistress quickly suggested, “My lord, only you and the ministers know about the will. You can always ignore it.”

If only it was that straightforward. King Alberto felt threatened by Sergio’s knowledge about the will. If he knew, Sergio could easily use this violation to turn people against the king and claim the throne. Despite his rare appearance, Sergio was still liked by many servants and ministers. He, in turn, proposed Alexander’s idea to the Mistress and she instantly sparkled. 

“That’s wonderful. The will is only valid as long Sergio is alive.”

“Yes, but how will we bring him here ?”, King Alberto asked, followed by another most important question, “And, who is going to end him ?”

Mistress Ansa quietly thought to herself for a minute, looked back at him with an evil, yet, victorious look, and replied, “Leave that with me.”

“What are you going to do ?”

“Just trust me, my lord.”, she kissed his cheek. “Now, allow me find you a young girl to bring you pleasure.”

The king instantly accepted and the mistress was on her hunt to find a young looking concubine for the King. 

***

“Wait, Prince Sergio actually exists ?”, Ava exclaimed softly as they all sat around to do the laundry. 

“Apparently.”, Elsa informed and Raquel nodded.

“I always thought he was an imagination.”, Ava got very curious about his presence. 

“Is he going to be the new king ?”, Triana wondered, more like hoped.

“We don’t know. But, I don’t think the king likes him much.”, Raquel informed. 

“Maybe, because he is better than the King ?”, Ava furrowed. 

Elsa shrugged. “Who cares. Whoever he is, nothing will change for us..”

“Amen to that, sister!”, they all said and went back to washing and raining wet clothes. Raquel, the oldest amongst them, admired the youngest, Elsa, for her maturity, her courage. Elsa was a living reminder of someone she had lost to this power play not too long ago. 

***  
People in the palace can be split into two groups; those who hail Alberto and those who tolerate him for his father’s legacy. Alberto’s cabinet ministers belonged in the first group. The queen and many wise ministers belong to the second lot. And, then there was Mistress Ansa, who belonged on neither side. Spending almost her entire life working for the royal family, she was the late King’s right hand, now Alberto’s favourite secret advisor. Behind the scenes, she was also close friends with the queen. Such a reputation earned her incredible wealth making her the richest servant in the kingdom. 

“My queen..”, Mistress Ansa addressed the queen warmly from behind. She, who have been determined to fix her mighty King’s problem, approached the queen as her first step.

The queen looked up from her knitting, “Hello, Ansa.”

The mistress kneeled. 

“Please, Ansa. We are beyond that. No formalities.”, Queen Laura took the maid’s hand and directed her to a chair. “How is my lovely friend ?”

“I am well, My lady. Thank you for your generous concern. And, yourself ?”

Laura sighed and nodded. 

“It’s a beautiful day.”, Ansa embraced the sun kissing their faces. 

“It really is..”, Queen Laura answered with a smile. It did not take her longer to understand the mistress was here for some work. “Is there something you need ?”

Ansa giggled shyly. “You caught me.”

“Tell me..”, the queen nudged. 

“What else will I worry about, my queen ? It is about our little Ricardo..”, Ansa exhaled sadly, as if the royal prince was her sole responsibility. The queen listened carefully to what she has got to say, while Ansa continued, “It is going to be a year since that girl passed away, he is still dwelling in the past. The drinking has increased, too..”

“I have tried to talk to him, Ansa. I really have. But, it doesn’t really help.”

“Well, we are women. I suppose a man could help ?”, Ansa pointed out. 

“A man ? Like Alberto ? I don’t think so...”, Laura shrugged at the idea of her husband having a sensible conversation with her son. 

  
“God. No!”, Ansa scoffed pretentiously. The rat was following her into the trap, she gloated. “I mean... a more sensible man...”

The queen furrowed curiously with her palm on her cheek.

“I was thinking we could get Prince Sergio... to help...”

The queen didn’t look convinced. The old tiff between the two brothers prevailed and Sergio had left a long time ago. Laura and Ricardo writes to him occasionally, but she wasn’t sure if he would be willing to help. 

“Think about it, my queen. The junior prince loves his uncle. Surely, Prince Sergio and the king have drifted apart, but he still cares about you and his nephew.”

“I am not sure if he will agree to come all the way..”, the queen worried. 

“It wouldn’t hurt to try.”, Ansa hinted and then added, “For our little prince..”

After thinking her hardest, the queen finally agreed, “Okay, I will write to him.”

Though, the king did not know about the queen’s friendship with her brother-in-law, Ansa knew about the exchange of letters. In fact, she was the one who posted some of them on the queen’s behalf. She may have read a couple of letters too, where they shared many internal jokes and events about each other’s lives. Sergio would not deny his sister-in-law’s request to help save his beloved nephew. 

“I hope our little Prince goes back to being happy again.”, Ansa smiled dreamily and rose to take a leave. 

“You care about this family a lot, Ansa..”, the queen thanked her implicitly with her recognition. 

“It’s my family too, my queen.”, Ansa bowed and left the queen with her knitting. _Still an emotional fool_ , Ansa thought to herself when she manipulated the queen to the King’s wicked will. 

Word about Sergio’s existence spread faster than fire. Everyone had their theories about his absence. He left the palace when King Alberto took over the thorn after his late father, the great king, but never visited, since. Almost two decades later, his name was uttered by these curious and amused tongues. Raquel and the other slaves quietly observed all the stories that brewed amongst servants. Some said that he was a monk, while some said that he was happily married with children. The scariest theory was that he was the brain behind Alberto’s actions. That would only mean death or worse painful disasters to the slaves. The only helpful solution was to stay calm before the storm. 

  
“Could he really be a monk ?”, Elsa whispered soon as the guard left them leashed to the pillar in their room. 

“Sleep, El. We have work tomorrow.”, Ava yawned settling in a comfortable position and throwing her hands on Raquel. 

“We work everyday.”, Elsa pointed out.

They all hummed and closed their eyes. 

“So, a monk ?”, Elsa began again.

“Who knows...”, Triana replied monotonically. “I really don’t care.”

“I just hope he is not like that fat bastard.”, Raquel whispered extremely softly referring to the king. 

“We are screwed aren’t we ?”, Ava worried with a sigh.

“What’s the worse that could happen ? More whips, slaps, insults ?”, Elsa listed their regular life. “We have seen it all.”

“It’s true.”, Triana said. 

“Ladies, do you think..er.. some day..er.. we will ever go home ?”, Ava asked sadly. Everyone held their silence as a response meaning that the chances of them getting out of this palace alive was close to zero. “Not at all ?”, Ava asked again. 

“Ava, There were 30 of us, now we are 4.”, Raquel informed.

“They all died of the measles.”, Ava argued.

“Not all of them. Some were killed..”, Triana corrected her understanding.

“Killed ?”, Elsa sat up in shock. “You guys told me it was the measles.”

“You both were too young to know the truth.”, Raquel confessed. Elsa and Ava were too young to understand why people kept going missing.

“I, honestly, would rather be killed than live.”, Triana chuckled. 

  
“Me too.”, Raquel added. “I am so done and so, so tired.”. 

  
The younger slaves frowned sadly, got closer to the older ones and hugged them protectively. “We have no-one, so please ?..”, Elsa pleaded with tears in her eyes. In last couple of years, they had lost a lot of friends, sisters, losing yet another one would be devastating. 

Raquel kissed her head, “Go to sleep, darling.”. Sadly, life or death was not in their hands, hence a fake promise won’t take them anywhere.

Their routines were pretty fixed and hasn’t changed since the day they were collared. If anything, the amount of labour kept increasing and the amount of helping hands kept decreasing. They have seen more slaves disappear for unknown reasons. The palace always killed the ones that weren’t physically fit enough. Their malnourishment reflected on their work which shortened their lives. There, also, existed a group that killed themselves. A bunch of slaves, girls, who were offered to Alberto against their will. When he was done, they jumped to their deaths. Because, they quit on life. Of course, he couldn’t care less. Thankfully, the King has not shown much interest in the remaining ones, except for the occasional caresses and ass slaps. Raquel recalled the day Elsa and Ava were little girls who kept crying asking for their parents. She was no different from them either. As a little girl, she glared at the palace gate, everyday, hoping her mother would appear. But, that day never came and it never will. From being a happy ambitious kid, she was now a perfect voiceless submissive. Such turn of events! Each of them had their tales, trauma, horror that will, one day, die with them. The future will never hear of them. They shall for now and forever remain unheard. 

  
“This one belongs to you..”, the door to their room opened and the mistress pushed a little girl inside. Horror spread on their face as the four women spotted a little girl in a cotton frock trembling as tears streamed down her bruised cheek. “Take your clothes off...”, Ansa commanded harshly to the child. 

The little girl shook her head, lowered her eyes away from the evil scary lady and muttered, “Please .. no...”

A loud smack on the head and the girl dropped on the floor. With loud sobs, she begged, “Please I wan’t to go back to my Mamma...Please Please..”. The girl’s face reddened as she continued cry loudly begging for mercy, pleading them to take her back to her mother. “MAMMAAAA!!!!”, she screamed as loudly as she could hoping her mother could hear her and desperately wishing all this was a bad dream. To the other slaves, this was normal. From time-to-time, kids get sent to the palace due to various reasons including failed marriage, financial depression. The women have been in this position themselves. 

“Mistress, may we please help ?”, Raquel gathered the courage to speak. 

Ansa stared at Raquel angrily and spat, “Fine. You have 10 minutes.”. She threw a new collar at Raquel’s direction and left. 

Now, the little girl was in a room with four other women. “Plea-se don’t hu-rt.. me, Pleas-e”, she managed to say hiding her face in her hands. She has had enough unprepared slaps for the day and wasn’t ready for more. 

“We won’t hurt you, We promise.”, Triana spoke. They all moved close to the little girl as far as their leash allowed, but the girl kept moving away from them in fear. 

“What is your name ?”, Raquel asked softly. And, that question seemed to terrify the little one more. She looked at Raquel, protected her cheeks with her palms and shook her head with no answer. “I see, they already covered that part.”, Raquel chuckled. “Look at us...please.. we like to be friends with you..We won’t hurt you..”

  
Elsa and Ava looked at each other as rage built within them. Why would a mother abandon such a beautiful healthy child in this shithole ?

“You can tell us your name. We are your friends...”, Triana smiled and extended her arm. 

The little girl flinched, but studied the four women. They were all dressed in similar looking clothes and the same was given to her, as well. She wondered why they were tied to the pole. Do they bite ? Are they dangerous ? 

“Please.. tell us before she comes back.”, Raquel urged the little one to speak as the time limit got closer. 

“P-P-Pa-Paula..”, the little girl stuttered. 

“Hello, Paula.”, they all smiled and waved. This brought some relief in the girl’s face. 

“He-hello.”, she replied with a small smile. 

“Will you come closer to us ? Please ? Err.. We can’t move any closer..”, Triana asked. 

Paula scanned their faces and agreed after some hesitation. She crawled closer to them. “Who are you. ?”, she asked with a furrow. 

  
“We are your friends..”, Ava answered. 

“Do you bite ?”, Paula frowned. The women looked confused. “Why do you have that attached to your neck ? Are you an animal ?”

It was unclear why Elsa found this hilarious as she began to laugh loudly. “You are lucky you are cute, kid!”. 

The rest of them giggled. “No, we are not. We will explain later. But, first, we need you to change into this, before the mistress comes back in.”, Raquel explained calmly. Paula nodded, but wasn’t too thrilled to change her clothes in front of strangers. “They will close their eyes.”, Raquel nodded at the other women and they all turned around and shut their eyes. 

“Thank you.”, Paula smiled sadly. She took the clothes from Raquel’s hands, eyed it with a disgusted pout. “My Frock has flowers in it.”, she commented sadly.

“And, it’s beautiful, cariño. But, don’t you want to dress like your new friends ?”

Paula shook her head slowly. She was not very happy letting go off her floral dress. “This one is my favorite!”, she said.

  
“Sadly, we don’t have floral frocks, else we would have worn them with you. Since, we don’t, could you please wear this one to look like us ?”

Her new friend had a fair point. So, she agreed and took the frock off. Meanwhile, Raquel helped her put the shirt on. “Cariño, these must go too.”, Raquel pointed at her little underwear and a bracelet on her hand. Paula did not have a problem taking the bracelet off, but the underwear was a bit strange to remove. “We are not wearing any, either..”, Raquel shrugged. Paula sighed, but nodded. Once she was fully dressed like a slave, Raquel took the collar in her hand, with incredible sadness, she looked at the innocent little child, “Can you read the number on this one ?”

“2703.”, Paula read it out loud.

“Good. If anyone asks for your name, this is what you say.”, Raquel instructed loud and clear.

“But, my name is Paula.”, the little one corrected her. The other slaves exchanged sad looks with each other. The kid had no clue where she was being put. 

“Yes, that’s right. But, outside this room, you are 2703. Okay ?”

“Alright.”, Paula sighed. “That woman kept slapping me, it really hurts.”, she complained pointing at her bruised cheek. 

“She won’t hurt you, if you tell her that your name is 2703.”, Raquel smiled and kissed her cheeks. Putting the collar around the girl’s tender neck was killing her on the inside. But, Paula was just as unfortunate as they were, and this was her new life. Accepting it is a lot less painful than trying to fight it. 

The mistress barged in, “Where are we on the little bitch ?”. She marched towards Paula and was pleased with her new appearance, “Aren’t you going to be a new treat!”. Raquel and Ava held Paula’s hands as she began too shiver. “Now, what’s your name, object ?”

“27.. 2703.”, Paula clutched her collar and answered. 

Ansa smirked, then looked at Raquel, “She makes one mistake and the punishment is on you..”

“Yes, Mistress.”, Raquel lowered her head and muttered softly. 

“Now, get your ass to the palace and be useful.”, she screamed, unleashed them and left. 

Soon as she was gone, Paula turned to them and said affirmatively, “I don’t think she likes me very much...”

“She doesn’t like any of us, cariño.”, Elsa answered. “Now, come on..”

The little girl was very anxious on her first day in the palace. She held Elsa’s hands, tightly, as they walked to the kitchen. Paula, as she walked, studied the hallway, the fancy antiques, the artwork. As interesting as they all looked, she wasn’t fully aware of the hell she has been pushed into. The kitchen was a place where she only went to hug her mother while she was working. But, now, she was expected to work. 

“Do you know how to cut these ?”, Raquel asked. Paula looked at the fruits and the knife, then shook her head. “Let me show you.”. 

Just a few meters away, there were kids her age, playing and laughing, she stared at them longingly. “Go on then, the masters would be here, soon.”, she heard Raquel from the behind. This is not what she wanted to do. She wanted to play ball with those kids. Paula shook her head, dropped the knife and hugged Raquel’s legs with tears in her eyes. Judging the time limitation they had, Raquel decided to take over Paula’s station while the little girl continued to cry on her legs. To their misery, they were given a boiled potato and a raw carrot for lunch, much later in the evening. Paula pouted crankily and refused to touch it. 

“We don’t get dinner, you know..”, Ava commented when the little one hadn’t touched anything. 

“I don’t like it.”, Paula said firmly looking away from them and at the other children. “Who are they ?”, she asked.

“Servant’s kids.”, Ava answered

“They live nearby.”, Triana added. 

“Can I go play with them ?”

“Darling, they wouldn’t want to play with you..”, Raquel caressed her hair as she delivered more disappointment. 

“I want to ask them..”, Paula was too adamant. Well, no-one could blame her, she was a child after all. 

Raquel sighed, eyed the other slaves, searched around to check if the mistress was around somewhere, and conceded, “Fine. Go.”

Paula was on her feet and ran towards the kids. 

“This is going to end bad.”, Elsa commented as they all watched Paula ask the kids if she could play with them. And as expected, the kids pointed, laughed at her and shooed her away. One even threw a stone at her. Hurt by their actions, Paula ran back with tears in her eyes. Unwilling to face her new friends, she jumped into Raquel’s arms and hid her face to cry privately. 

Raquel held the little child as she cried her humiliation. “We could play with you..”

Paula opened her swollen eyes and looked at her questioningly.

“It’s true, once we are back in the room, we could play.”, Elsa promised and earned Paula’s smile. 

The rest of the day the little girl helped as much as she could like washing small sized clothes, smaller vessels etc. They were finally in their room, where she cried yet again when the mistress put a leash and tied her to the pillar. When they were finally alone, Paula was still crying, “I don’t like this.”, she tried to break the leash. Sadly, they have all tried it, once upon a time. 

“Stop. Stop. You will hurt yourself”, Triana stopped the little girl from strenuously pulling her neck from the leash. 

When things didn’t go her way, Paula kicked and began to cry, yet again. 

“Paula! Cariño, please look at me.”, Raquel took her little shaky figure in her arms. Paula began to calm down in her tight embrace. “Look at all of us. We all have leashes.”

“What does she think we will do ? We can’t leave the room. She has locked it. Then, why tie us to this thing ?”, Paula angrily pointed out the obvious logical flaw. 

While Raquel gathered herself from the heart-breaking question, Elsa answered, “Because they are masters, we are slaves.”

To cheer the little girl, they played games every night taking extreme caution of their noise levels. Paula slowly learnt to cut fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. She was a little scared to butcher meat, as the blood scared her. Her innocence and naughtiness warmed a lot of servant’s hearts. Though, none of them had the power to free her of her fate, they did intentionally overlook when the little one snuck some fruit pieces into her mouth. Behind the sudden acceptance, there was one big comforting lie. When Paula kept rejecting her food, Raquel feared that she might lose the little one to some illness. The little one was often reminded of her mother, her late father, her home, which made her disconsolate. Watching her heartbreak as she questioned about why she was left here, Raquel lied that this was a temporary arrangement and that her mother would come back for her if she took care of herself and behaved well. Thankfully, Paula’s questions stopped as she trusted in the light Raquel promised at the end of the tunnel. Though, Raquel hated herself for lying to the child, she recalled the golden words of an elder slave, “ _If a lie can postpone someone’s misery by a second, it’s worth the sin._ ”. Back then, Raquel was the child questioning an elder slave, who had lied to her, after realising that her mother was never coming back for her. Paula would recognise the lie someday, but for now, the child was happy and that mattered the world. Though the long working hours, less sleep in addition to lack of nutrients, made the little girl tired, she still loved her new friends. Despite their age difference, they were fun. They played games before she slept and even made funny mimicry of their mistress and other servants. 

Weeks passed since the little slave’s arrival. Her eyes were not wide and bright anymore. She was less playful and enthusiastic. It was like her soul was sucked little by little. And, it was painfully evident. 

“Whose room is it ?”, Paula questioned when they all were given bucket to clean a very dusty room. 

“Prince Sergio’s.”, Raquel answered. 

“Who ?”, Paula frowned upon hearing a new name

“The King’s stepbrother.”, Elsa answered.

Paula hummed and asked, “Where is he now ?”

“No-one knows.”, Ava answered as they began to remove the sheets off his dusty bed. 

“When is he coming ?”, the little shot her next question.

“No damn clue.”, Raquel snorted and they got to work. 

Prince Sergio’s was not like any other royal rooms. It did not contain expensive artwork, paintings or weapons. Instead, it was filled with books, pens, papers and an old piano.   
“Who has so many books ?”, Triana coughed as she dusted books. 

“And, these are not even the same language.”, Raquel took two books in her hand and furrowed at them. 

“How could you tell ?”, Ava asked.

“I don’t know.”, Raquel shrugged. “They look different.”

Paula grabbed the books and casually replied, “They both are the same language. It’s Spanish.”

“Wait, you can read ?”, the three surprised women asked in unison.

Paula nodded, but furrowed in shock, “You can’t ?!!”

It was shameful to admit to a child that the three adults can’t read. But, they all wanted to learn at some point, so Raquel asked, “Can you teach us ?”

Paula shrugged casually, “Sure.”

They were ordered to remove all of the prince’s clothes as they were to be replaced with new ones. “How old is this man ?”, Elsa asked when she found a striped robe in the wardrobe. 

“Younger than the King, for sure.”, Raquel said confidently. 

“His robes don’t say so..”, Elsa rolled her eyes and put all his clothing into a big pile to throw away. When they were done dusting and mopping, the room finally looked less haunted. It was quite a task as Paula stretched and yawned by the end of it. Despite the labour, being unsupervised and free, allowed them to happily throw dust bunnies at each other. “Shh...”, Elsa shushed when she heard some footsteps approaching them. In a flash, they went from happy to horror as the mistress barged in, hooked Raquel to a leash and walked, rather dragged, her with no further information. Raquel shot a look of grave fear, presuming potential punishment for something she never imagined would be a mistake, while the rest of them stared wide-eyed. 

For the next couple of hours, none of the slaves knew Raquel’s whereabouts. They kept an eye on the surroundings, but no sign of the woman. Triana, secretly wished, she would at least return alive, while Elsa and others began to pray. “Where do you think she is ?”, Paula worried with tears brimming. 

“Cariño, she will come back. Don’t worry..”, Ava kissed her flushed cheeks and wiped her tears. 

By night, though they were leashed and allowed to sleep, they stayed past their utter exhaustion waiting for Raquel. Paula had tears down her eyes anxiously staring at the door. With Elsa’s teeth chattering and Ava’s nail biting, Tirana was the only one able to hold a strong face for them. “You know what, Let’s sleep, she will come back.”, Triana said, thought by now, she had lost hopes of her friend’s return. 

“No!”, Paula shrieked. 

“She is right. We will stay until we know where Raquel is..”, Elsa added. 

“We have work tomorrow.”, Triana reminded the adamant souls. 

“She is our friend. We have the right to know.”, Ava spat back.

“Rights ? Really ?”, Triana asked with a raised eyebrows. What right do they have in life ? “We don’t have the right to piss without their permission.”, she chuckled irritably.

“I am with Ava. If we lose one more of us, we will riot.”, Elsa supported her friend.

“And what ? Get killed ?”, Triana asked. 

“Dying together or dying alone ?”, Elsa vocally weighed her options holding out her palms and concluded, “I prefer the former.”

“Shh...”, Paula shushed them, soon as she heard someone approach their door. 

With a loud bang, the mistress pushed Raquel into the room, leashed her with the rest of them and left leaving a little pat on later’s cheeks. While the rest of them could not hide their joy, practically jumped on Raquel when they finally saw her alive and well.

“Not a scratch on this one!!”, Elsa celebrated. 

“Where in hell did they take you ?”, Triana asked curiously, while little Paula wrapped her arms around Raquel’s neck and said, “I am so happy to see you again.”

“Me too, cariño. Me too.”, Raquel pressed a lot of kisses. And, then, answered Triana’s question, “In the King’s chambers.”

The woman gasped knowing what that meant. 

“Not like that.”, Raquel shrugged in disgust. “They needed tea and snacks.”

They all nodded, convinced with her answer and lie down to sleep. Paula, whose eyes were already heavy and red, fell asleep wrapping herself around Raquel. Triana and Ava were the next ones to snore, while Raquel stared at the wall fearing more darkness. 

“Hey..”, she felt Elsa’s hands around the waist. 

Raquel turned her neck and smiled questioningly.

“The kid missed you.”, Elsa nodded at Paula. 

Raquel kissed the little girl’s hair and sighed, “Me too.”

“You are not sleepy ?”, Elsa asked. Raquel shook her head. “Days with the King can do that to a person, a woman.”

“What do you mean ?”

“I mean.. the way he is with us...”

Raquel furrowed. 

  
“.. women in general, calling us names, touching and being inappropriate..”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”, Raquel rolled her eyes in comprehension. 

“But, you are safe now.”, Elsa reminded her. “They can’t own us completely. There are some parts of you that is totally yours and he or no-one, can take that from you..”

Raquel knew the depth of that sentence as a submissive. Their masters control their body and emotions, but a human is more than death. What’s buried far within oneself, cannot be dug out or possessed. “Thanks, El.”, she pretended to close her eyes for Elsa to fall asleep, but for Raquel one of her many sleepless nights begin now. Soon as they were all asleep, Raquel finally let a single tear escape her eye reviewing what she was getting into.

***  
_Few hours earlier,_

_Raquel’s heart skipped many beats as the mistress silently led her towards the King’s chambers. She was aware of the King randomly picking women for his pleasure. This thrilled the concubines, as it was their area of expertise, however, slaves weren’t. Raquel had no clue what a man and a woman do in bed, apart from the fact that they take their clothes off. This had been her biggest fear since she developed into a woman’s body; that one day she would be summoned to the King’s bed. And, the word ‘No’ was prohibited from their vocabulary. The Master’s wish their command. When the mistress opened the doors to the King’s chamber, Raquel spotted his fat figure sipping drinks on his silk cushiony sofa._

_“Ansa!!”, the King greeted with a wide smile. Raquel assumed position; kneeling on the ground, eyes lowered and her hands behind her head. “What do we have here ? I am too full for more desert.”, he rubbed his fat belly._

_Was she being referred to as a desert ? Was that what she was for the evening ? Thankfully, he said he was full, that means she wasn’t needed._

_“My Lord, I am shocked at how my offerings to you are being underestimated..”, Ansa feigned a heart break. “I would never bring this filthy face for your pleasure! I would at least wrap it well, before presenting it to you.”, Ansa chuckled._

_The King burped. “Why are you here ?”_

_“This..”, Ansa pointed at Raquel. “Has been here long enough. We can do something useful, before we set it free.”_

_The King was listening._

_“Like your mission that involves Prince Sergio.”_

_This sentence grabbed Raquel back to reality. Quickly she understood that she was going to be forced into the King’s Cold War with the Prince. The sound of the King approaching her made her heart bang loudly. She felt his rough finger caress her cheek, her neck, earlobe and finally her lips. As disgusted and scared as she was, she remained in posture._

_“I can think of yet another purpose to it, before we set it free.”, the King winked at Ansa and laughed loudly._

_“Of course, my lord.”, Ansa agreed._

_Raquel’s internal voice screamed for a vote in the matter, but sadly would never be heard. The King took her by her leash to his sofa and put her on his lap. “Soft.”, he commented rubbing his nose against her cheek. When Raquel squirmed, he held her tightly by her waist. “So soft...”, he caressed her waist. “But, you have bigger things to do. Do you know what that would be ?”_

_Raquel, with her eyes pointed at the floor, managed to mutter, “No, my lord.”_

_The King grabbed a little potion bottle, “You will need to be friends with Prince Sergio. How exciting ?”, he asked rhetorically. Raquel listened amidst feeling disturbed by his hand on her waist. “You take care of him and all his meals. When his meal is being served, you add one drop of this potion into it.”, the King pushed the bottle into her hand. “One drop a day, when the bottle is finally over...”, the King probed Ansa to finish._

_“The mighty Prince would be over too.”, the mistress said with an evil smile._

_“Finished!”, the king clapped his hands dramatically. “You understand us, girl ?”_

_“Yes, my lord.”_

_“Do you know what that means to you ?”, the king asked caressing her waist_

_“I am afraid I don’t have the capability to answer that, my lord.”, she answered straight out of textbook._

_“Freedom.”_

_As if, she scowled inside, but said, “Thank you, my lord._

_“And a bonus.”, the King added. His hands moved to her stomach and began to travel up to her breasts. She felt her stomach churn as she squirmed to escape his touch, but he slapped her ass and caught her more tightly. “You have girl’s body, my little slave. Look at you shying away from your mighty king. It’s time we change that. You will be personally transformed into a woman by me.”_

_“Thank you, my lord.”, Raquel began to shiver in fear, but that only made them laugh more loudly._

***

Freedom and something strange, in return for Prince Sergio’s life, her mind roamed around that thought in circles. Would she take someone’s life for her freedom ? The decision was not hers anyways, hence she succumbed to her fatigue, instead. 

Over the next few days, there was news about Prince Sergio’s early arrival, but no-one had seen him yet. Some servants claim to have, but the slaves did not hold the right to ask for information. The King appeared a lot stressed, yet falsely courteous then before. The queen looked less stressed, while the ministers and servants were on their feet trying to hunt ways to kiss his ass. But, the slaves couldn’t care less. As for Raquel, she dreaded his arrival. The mistress kept the potion bottle by her side in the kitchen, so that Raquel could safely add drops to his meal. The mistress also said she would personally introduce her to Prince Sergio, ordered her to get personal with him and earn his trust. Keeping it far away from her thoughts, she continued working like any other regular day. Though, her friends did notice that she was being a lot quieter recently, she managed to state reasons about tiredness, hunger that were usually true in their case. 

By some miracle, they were given grilled chicken for lunch one day, since almost a decade of eating boiled leftovers. They took their meal far away from the kitchen, sat by shade of some trees, rested their backs to enjoy their meal. The relishing did not last even till their first morsel, as a man walking by their side accidentally kicked mud on their plate. 

  
“Oh no!!”, Raquel noticed it only after Paula’s disappointed cries. Elsa hurried to dust the sand off, but it was wet mud and was not smudged on the chicken. Though, they would actually wash the mud off and eat the roasted chicken minus the flavours, the action agitated Raquel. The man was only a servant, not royalty, hence she pounced, “Excuse me!!”. She knew she could be brutally punished, but she couldn’t care less. They looked forward to this meal and god knows how many years will they have to wait for another piece of chicken. A serious looking bearded man with glasses turned to her. “Look what you have done!”, she pointed at the chicken, but the man continued to stare at her. “We finally get a good meal and this is what you do!”, she waved at him when his eyes did not move from her. 

The man started for second and turned his gaze towards the plate. A plate containing exactly one piece of chicken and five of them around it to share. Before he could say anything, she continued, “There is a child depending on this meal. Don’t you have a heart ?!”. Her face was now red with anger. Her friends grabbed her and continued to apologise to the man for her outburst. She was done with ruthless servants treating them like crap. “After doing everything you asked us to do, we are finally here to eat. Even that we can’t, unless we lick past your mud, is that it ?”, Raquel questioned with deep angst. 

He blinked, “Err.. I will...”

“You will what ? Tell our Mistress ? Go on! Tell her”, she spat fighting off her friends trying to grab her, “Tell her 1806 had a problem eating muddy food.”

When she had no more words to say to him, she turned away, wiped her eyes subtly and sat by Paula. She really wanted to eat that chicken. Paula hugged her to calm her down, while he left abruptly. The other slaves reprimanded Raquel for her behaviour, “You are going to get us all beaten up, you know that!!”, Triana began first. Followed by Elsa, “Next time, you pick a fight, do it when you are alone.”. Finally Ava said, “We are done getting beaten for a lifetime, Raquel.”. They all left saying no more. 

“You don’t have anything to say to me ?”, Raquel, who was deeply hurt by the wound inflicted by the other’s words, asked Paula. The little girl did not follow the other slaves, but sat by her side, holding her hands. Raquel could tell that she was trying to find words to say what’s on her mind, but was clearly struggling, “Go on, sweetheart. You can’t hurt me.”

“You lied to me previously didn’t you ?”, Paula, after a long minute, asked softly. “My mother is never coming back to get me, is she ? I am going to be here for the rest of my life ?”, she stacked questions. 

This was not about the chicken, or Raquel’s outburst, but Paula, once again, proving herself as the cleverest of them all. Raquel swallowed her choking guilt and apologised sincerely, “I am really sorry, Paula. Yes, I lied before.”

“Tell me the truth, now.”, Paula pleaded demandingly. 

The elder woman sighed, not wanting to have this conversation with a little girl of her age, “Well, as you might have guessed, you parents left you here...”

“Mother.”, Paula corrected. 

“Sorry ?”

“Not Parents. Only Mother. My Papi died when I was a baby. My mother married a new man and he didn’t want me at his house.”, Paula revealed looking away from Raquel. 

“Right.”, Raquel nodded. “You mother left you here, for reasons you already know. The palace provides clothes, food and shelter for people like us, in exchange for work.”

“Then, why are we slaves ?”

“Well, long time ago, when the great king, King’s Alberto’s father, lived, the palace adopted a children from poor families to offer them free education and living in exchange for small work.”, Raquel recalled. “But, “, she sighed, “After the King died, Alberto became in charge of our fates.”

“How old were you ?”

“Most of us were about your age, cariño.”, Raquel caressed the little girl’s sad cheeks.

They both dwelled in silence for a little longer, until Paula asked, “Did your parents not come to meet you, at all ?”

Raquel, who had accepted her life, shook her head confidently, “After the great king died, families were sent letters to take their children back. Some of our parents did not show up, so we were put on a collar and leash, branded as slaves.”

It was, then, Paula wiped a fat tear from her eyes. “The others, the masters, I don’t think they like us.”, she sounded afraid. 

“They don’t.”, Raquel said resolutely. 

The little girl hugged her knee and turned her face away to stare at the garden. Raquel’s eyes sank in pain watching the little girl suffer in solitude. She picked her up into her arms, “Paula, cariño, look at me, I promise to take care of you, as long as I live. You are not alone, we all are here.“

“Not everyone.”, Paula pointed at their missing friends, who were now, sitting by a tree far away from them.

“They are a bit angry now, but they will come around.”, Raquel assured. “We have each other in this life. And, no matter what, we won’t let go. I promise.”

Paula looked into her eyes forming another very important question. But, before she could ask, they were interrupted. 

“Hey ? Excuse me ?”, it was the man she had yelled at previously. 

Raquel and Paula straightened up, held a brave safe, while Raquel was sure she was going to be whipped for opening her voice. To their surprise, the man had a different reason to visit, “Err.. I got you some fresh fruits from the orchard.”, he offered it to Raquel, who hesitantly opened her palms to him. “I know it’s not exactly chicken, but it will still keep you full, I hope ?”, he placed four bananas, apples and mangos. 

  
“I am really sorry for yelling, earlier.”, Raquel apologised and thanked him for their meal. 

The man smiled and left. When she was about to call her friends, to share the fruits, she noticed the man offering them some fruits as well. 

“He seems nice.”, Paula commented. 

“Must be new. He will learn to be like them, soon.”, Raquel sighed. “What were you going to ask me ?” . Not in a million years, Raquel would have imagined being put at the other end of Paula’s strange question. 

Paula looked straight into her eyes, fiddled with her fingers when she asked innocently, “Will you be my Mamma?”

Taken aback by her words, Raquel asked, “What ?”

“My Mamma.”, Paula clarified. Raquel was dumbfounded and sat still. 

  
Could she be a mother ? Paula granted her a new birth with one powerful question.A woman who has never felt loved, does not know how to love, care and protect someone, let along, a little girl. She did not have the means to improve Paula’s life. If anything, over the years, she would have to witness the girl getting beaten up and abused by their masters. Was she ready for such an emotional toll ? Can she be the motherly figure the little girls needs in life ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are here till the end, Thank you so much for reading. Comments and Kudos would make me super happy !! I would love to read what you guys think!!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story so far! And, I really would appreciate feedback, Kudos and comments! :). Many thanks for putting up with my creative chaos! Lots of Love! !


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